Traditionally, packaging for an article, such as a pair of shoes, may have included a box for shipping, storing, and displaying the article. The box often consisted of a four sided cardboard structure with a bottom that connected the four sided structure and a cover that enclosed an article placed within the four sided structure. However, often times when the traditional box is used for shipping from the factory to a warehouse and ultimately to a retail store, the box may become damaged at some point along the way. Additionally, when the box is stored at a point during the transfer from factory to display at the retail store, or at the retail store prior to being displayed or sold, the box may be subjected to compressive forces. This usually occurs when a vertical column of many boxes are placed on top of one another and the bottom box normally bears the brunt of the total weight of the column of boxes. Such vertical column stacking is a frequently adopted manner for storing boxes among many retailers and perhaps warehouses as well.
As a possible result, some boxes may become damaged to the point they are no longer suitable for display at the retail store. In certain cases, the articles within the boxes may also become damaged. Damage to boxes may be exacerbated by the constant handling of the boxes due to purchasers' requirements to try on a selection of sizes and styles before buying, which often causes a worker to retrieve and restack numerous boxes of shoes. In the event a box in a lower portion of the vertical stack is desired, the worker may pull upon the box's cover to extract the box from the stack, which can result in the cover becoming torn.
Another disadvantage of traditionally provided boxes is that, during the transfer between factory and retail store or during the constant handling of the boxes, the cover may become separated from the bottom of the box and lost.
In addition to the possibility of the boxes being damaged or the covers being lost, a further disadvantage is that the articles within the damaged boxes, even if the articles are not damaged themselves, may not be salable because stores often require purchasers who return shoes to return the box in a resale condition.
What is desired, therefore, is a box that is resistant to damage due to constant handling. Another desire is a box that inhibits separation of the cover from the bottom of the box. A further desire is a box that is stronger than conventionally provided boxes for withstanding compressive forces.